Filming
Top Gun had a budget of 15 million. Filming The Navy made several aircraft from F-14 fighter squadron VF-51 "ScreamingEagles" (which Tom Skerritt mentions in the scene at his home) available for the film. Paramount paid as much as US$7,800 per hour (equivalent to $18,500 today) for fuel and other operating costs whenever aircraft were flown outsidetheir normal duties. Shots of the aircraft carrier sequences were filmed aboardthe USS Enterprise, showing aircraft from F-14 squadrons VF-114 "Aardvarks" and VF-213 "Black Lions". The majority of the carrier flight deck shots were of normal aircraft operations and the film crew had to take what they could get, save for the occasional flyby which the film crew would request. During filming, director Tony Scott wanted to shoot aircraft landing and taking off, back-lit bythe sun. During one particular filming sequence, the ship's commanding officerchanged the ship's course, thus changing the light. When Scott asked if they could continue on their previous course and speed, he was informed by the commander that it cost US$25,000 (equivalent to $59,000 today) to turn the ship, and to continue on course. Scott wrote the carrier's captain a US$25,000 check so that the ship could be turned and he could continue shooting foranother five minutes. Filming and clapperboard of Top Gun on July 5, 1985.Most of the sequences of the aircraft maneuvering over land were shot atNaval Air Station Fallon, in Nevada, using ground-mounted cameras. Air-to-air shots were filmed using a Learjet, piloted by Astrovision inventor and legendarypilot Clay Lacy. His name is misspelled in the closing credits, as Clay Lacey. Grumman, manufacturer of the F-14, was commissioned by Paramount Pictures to create camera pods to be placed upon the aircraft that could be pointedtoward either the front or rear of the aircraft providing outside shots at highaltitude.In July 1985, Kansas City Barbeque served as a filming location for twoscenes. The first scene features Goose and Maverick singing "Great Balls of Fire" while seated at the piano. The final scene, where "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" can be heard on the restaurant's jukebox, was also filmed at the restaurant. Both scenes were filmed consecutively. After release of the movie, the restaurant went on to collect a significant amount of memorabilia from the motion picture until akitchen fire on June 26, 2008, destroyed much of the restaurant. Somememorabilia and props, including the original piano used in the film, survived the fire, and the restaurant re-opened in November 2008. Renowned aerobatic pilotArt Scholl was hired to do in-flight camera work for the film. The original scriptcalled for a flat spin, which Scholl was to perform and capture on a camera onthe aircraft. The aircraft was observed to spin through its recovery altitude, atwhich time Scholl radioed "I have a problem... I have a real problem". He was unable to recover from the spin and crashed his Pitts Special bi-plane into the Pacific Ocean off the Southern California coast near Carlsbad on September 16, 1985. Neither Scholl's body nor his aircraft was recovered, leaving the official cause of the accident unknown. Top Gun was dedicated to Scholl's memory. The film was shot in the Super 35 format, as anamorphic lenses were toolarge to fit inside the cockpits of the fighter jets.